GERMANTOWN, Md.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading technology solutions provider for broadband networking, end-to-end service support and energy management, announced that its established Preferred Provider Status for the Vantage Hospitality Group, Inc. has been extended to encompass Telkonet’s energy management solution. With Telkonet SmartEnergy, owners of Vantage’s Americas Best Value Inns and Lexington Collection hotels have the opportunity to significantly reduce in-room energy consumption by eliminating the wasteful heating and cooling of unoccupied rooms. In addition, Telkonet offers a comprehensive range of services, including wired and wireless high-speed Internet access (HSIA) and proactive customer support, all managed from a single centralized management...

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA—Rheem Water Heating recently became the first industry manufacturer to offer computer software specifically intended for sizing tankless water heaters for residential and commercial installations. Based on the widely used CertiSpec software for Rheem-Ruud commercial water heaters, the new EZ-Spec tankless software application is now available for download at www.rheemtankless.com in the “Products” menu. Simple to use, the new EZ-Spec offers drop-down menus and easy-to-understand fields. The user selects a specific application (single-family home, townhome/apartment; restaurant, school, health club, laundromat, hotel, etc.) from a drop-down menu and then enters relevant sizing data, fuel type, number of hot-water fixtures, input...

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Site Controls, LLC, a leading provider of energy management and business intelligence solutions. Under terms of the agreement, Ecolab will make a minority investment in Site Controls and create a joint venture called Total Enterprise Control (TEC), which will focus on providing energy management and remote monitoring solutions to Ecolab’s customers. “Rising operational and energy costs are one of the top concerns of our customers,” says Jim Miller, executive vice president, Ecolab Institutional Sector North America. “We saw in Site Controls the potential to provide a...

BOSTON—Three additional hotels in the Boston area have earned an Energy Star label by documenting superior energy performance and efficiency. With the new designations, there are now eight hotels in the Hub metropolitan area that have made sufficient energy improvements to achieve an Energy Star label. At an event on Thursday, October 4, EPA honored Boston area hoteliers, recognizing each for their facilities’ superior energy performance. Together with Boston Green Tourism, the agency lauded local hoteliers for improving energy efficiency and implementing high quality measures that ultimately improve the guest experience. “We’re excited to see Boston’s hospitality industry take a...

DANBURY, CONN.—FuelCell Energy Inc., a leader in the development and manufacture of fuel cells for Ultra-Clean electric power generation, announces the launch of a new website at www.fuelcellenergy.com. The new site contains extensive information on the company’s patented Direct FuelCell (DFC) technology, and also provides a comprehensive overview of the benefits fuel cell power plants offer for a wide variety of markets and industries. The new website provides information on FuelCell Energy’s global power plant fleet and contains the information, resources, and products customers need to implement reliable, Ultra-Clean power for their 24/7 baseload power requirements. In addition to information...

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.—RSI International Systems Inc. announced that their RoomKey Property Management System has become “Carbon Free” through a carbon emission offset partnership with Carbonfund.org. RoomKey is the first fully integrated Web-based property management software solution that offers hoteliers complete functionality while providing an opportunity to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. RoomKey enables hotels, inns and resorts to effectively manage their property while conveying their environmental commitment to guests and other stakeholders. RoomKey uses approximately 94 percent less energy than traditional server-based property management systems. Because RoomKey is Web-based and centrally hosted, every client using RoomKey PMS can reduce...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC’s premiere historic luxury hotel, is now powered by 100 percent wind energy. Pepco Energy Services, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. and a leader in renewable electricity, supplies the 332-room landmark hotel with 100 percent wind renewable energy credits, making the Willard the first urban luxury hotel in the United States to be fully supported in this sustainable manner. Pepco Energy Services provides the Willard InterContinental Washington with nearly 7.1 million kilowatt hours of 100 percent wind renewable energy certificates. The Loyalton Group, an energy risk management firm in Washington, D.C., facilitated the contracts,...

BOSTON—The Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston has just received official Energy Star status in recognition of its energy conservation and efficiency efforts. The hotel, built in 1963, has just completed a year-long effort to achieve this status. To that end, building automation systems were used to efficiently control the building’s energy consumption, coordinating HVAC, boilers, chillers and common area lighting. The guestroom energy management system manages heating and cooling when guests are not in their rooms and guestrooms are now lit by compact fluorescent lighting. “The overall guiding principle in decision making for all projects over the last year has...

MINNEAPOLIS—Honeywell introduced EXCEL 5000 OpenViewNet, a secure network device that connects the EXCEL 5000 family of controllers to the Internet, delivering remote, Web-based monitoring and control of heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems. “We’re bringing secure Web access to a legacy control system without forcing users to migrate to a new platform,” says Mike Taylor, vice president of Americas marketing, Honeywell Building Solutions. “With OpenViewNet, facility managers always have control of their EXCEL 5000 systems at their fingertips, saving time and increasing efficiency.” OpenViewNet gives users quick access to building data via Internet Explorer or a Pocket PC-enabled mobile device using...

LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Next spring will be an exciting time here at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, located in idyllic Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Up on the roof of the 153-room property, just between the main lobby and the restaurant, a green roof will be installed. Similar to a garden, the roof will include a bed of soil and plants that will have both aesthetic and environmental benefits. The roof originally was going to be put in place this fall but it was determined that the plants that will rest in the roof modules need more time...